Secrets to Limits
by pineylife
Summary: Cara Messer finds that secrets are hard to keep -- especially when she tries to keep it from Danny and everyone around her. When she reaches her limit, what happens in the end? AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Finally, after maybe... 2 months, this story is finally getting off the ground. This is the third and probably final story featuring Cara Messer. I'm glad you all stopped by and please, relax and enjoy.

Synopsis: Cara Messer finds that secrets are hard to keep -- especially when she tries to keep it from Danny and everyone around her. When she reaches her limit, what happens in the end?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to CBS.

Rated: T for language

Pairings: D/L, maybe some FAng

* * *

So, many things have gone right in my life. Let me list them.

I have a great brother and sis – in – law

I have a chance on getting a scholarship to play soccer at Manhattan College

I only have 7 more months till college…

My dog is amazing

I also have the greatest friends someone can have.

There are also many things in my life that aren't going too well.

College apps. 'Nough said.

Money problems in the family.

Dad is up to something…

Stress…

I try, really hard to keep everything under control, but I sometimes wonder if I can keep it together. My dad… well… he might not have his job by the end of the month. Him and mom have been going at it for the past couple of weeks. Dad doesn't want mom to work, but knowing mom… her being stubborn and such (and Danny wonders _were_ I get it from) she wants to get a job to help the family. My dad wants to be the provider so I've been hanging out with the buddies for a while so I don't have to deal the macho going on.

Gotta love it, huh?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cara closed her locker with a loud bang as she sighed and threw her messenger bag across her shoulder. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to see her best friend, Kristin, with a smirk on her face that Cara could tell might be trouble.

"You doing anything this weekend?" Kristin asked admiring her finger nails before looking back up at her friend.

"…Nothing. What are you thinking of?" Cara asked Kristin and she leaned against the lockers to keep herself away from the flow of the student population.

"I've got a bunch of friends who plan to have a party this weekend and you are coming with me so you don't go crazy because of the parentals." Kristin said.

Cara shrugged, "Maybe… whose going to be there?"

Kristin shrugged, "Couple of friends. College guys…"

Cara frowned and the smiled, "Yeah, why not."

"Good, good. Cause you know, I was going to send Elise after ya if you didn't." Kristin said.

"I know you would." Cara said as she pushed herself off the lockers and the friends walked down the hallway, weaving in and out of the underclass men. They entered their science class and quickly took their seats in the middle of the class. Both girls were talking when Elise (a New Zealander who moved to New York in her Junior year of High School) and Luke sat down in front of them and Luke leaned back and with a smile asked, "Messer, you gonna go to that party this weekend?"

Cara nodded, "Yeah, I was threatened with Elise."

Elise smiled and said, "Well, even if you still said no, I was going to go to your house and drag you to the party."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Cara mumbled and Elise gave a smile and sat up a little straighter in her seat.

The science teacher walked into the room and the class turned to pay attention to him, knowing that it was easier than fighting with him. Kristin wrote something on a piece of paper and pushed it in front of Cara.

_Come to my house on tomorrow (that's a Friday, btw), after school. We'll make sure you're ready._

Cara looked over at her friend and smiled.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Cara…"

Cara smirked as she placed her phone between her shoulder and ear, "Bad timing?"

"You think?"

"Sorry."

"This better be good." Danny Messer mumbled as Cara heard some movement in the background.

"Yeah, it actually is. This is a phone call with a purpose." Cara said as she looked across the street and quickly ran hoping so she wouldn't get hit by a car.

"Alright. If this is a phone call of importance, you want to get to the important part?" Danny asked his little sister. Cara nodded and adjusted her jacket so it blocked her from the cold wind that was wiping off the coast.

"You mind if I spend Christmas with you guys this year?" Cara asked and she listened to the patting of her feet against the sidewalk as she waited for Danny to answer.

Danny sighed, "Why didn't you just call me tomorrow? When I wasn't busy?"

"You know mom. We have about two more weeks till Christmas and I know today will be the day that mom asks me about Christmas." Cara said.

"Why don't you spend Christmas with the parents?" Danny asked.

Cara sighed, "You haven't heard some of the arguments I've heard." Cara mumbled as she used her shoulder to open the fence door into her backyard and quickly headed to the back door.

"They're going through a hard time, Car."

"I know, I know. But I'm getting sick of going to sleep with mom and dad yelling over money." Cara asked as she opened the door and quickly closed it and tried to warm up in the kitchen.

"Cut them a break." Danny mumbled.

Cara shook her head, "Honestly, I just need to run away for a couple of weeks and then I'll be good."

"Please don't run away. Then I'll be the one to get in trouble." Danny mumbled and Cara pulled off her jacket with a sigh.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything that would get you in trouble." Cara said as she slipped off her converse and slowly made her way to the stair case.

Danny chuckled and then said, "Can I go now? Lindsay and I are spending time together."

Cara smiled and looked down to see her 2 year old Chocolate lab standing by the front door, "Nice. Peppermint wants to know if you guys are at 1st or 2nd base."

"Cara."

"Alright, alright. I'm going. Love ya."

"Love you, too, munk." Danny said before he hung up.

Cara flipped her phone shut and shoved it in her pocket before clapping her hands, which cause Peppermint to scamper up the stairs and be waiting at Cara's bedroom door by the time Cara had hobbled up the stairs. Peppermint wagged her tail and practically sprinted into Cara's room. Cara shook her head and headed toward her room, but stopped when she heard a noise coming from her parent's bedroom. She stopped by the door and leaned closer, trying to hear what was going on inside the room. There was silence and then Cara heard the padding of feet on the floor, causing her to run to her room and close the door.

Licking her lips, she dropped her bag next to her desk and sat down on the old bean bag chair that sat in the corner of her room. Peppermint had settled herself at the foot of Cara's bed and was now watching her intently.

"What are those two doing home early?" she asked Peppermint who just rolled over on her back and tried to scratch it on the bed.

"And you wonder why I never ask you anything."


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, here's Chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

All mistakes belong to me.

* * *

Lindsay shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer to Danny who was slowly stroking her back out of laziness. Danny yawned and buried himself into the pillows, closing his eyes hopefully for a little bit before his phone rang. Groaning, he reached over and snapped the phone open.

"Hello?"

Danny paused for a little bit and nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there."

Danny snapped his phone shut and threw it on the bed side table and gently pulled himself from Lindsay's grasp. Lindsay slowly stirred awake and opened her eyes, "Where you going?" she asked.

"Got called in." Danny said pulling on a pair of boxers.

"I thought you were off." Lindsay said pulling the covers over her body and her eyes glued to her husband.

"I did too." he mumbled before leaning down and pressed a kiss on Lindsay's temple, "I'll make it up."

"Promise?" she asked as she wrapped the blanket around her small frame.

"Yup." he mumbled before heading to the bathroom to freshen up and change before he went off to work. Danny went back over to Lindsay to kiss her goodbye before he left.

"Before I forget to tell you, Cara's coming over for Christmas." Danny said and Lindsay gave a small smile.

"Knew she would." Lindsay mumbled and Danny frowned.

"How did you know?" Danny asked as he stood up a little straighter.

"Just a women's intuition. Get to work before you get your ass fired." she said and with a farewell smile, pulled the covers over her head. Danny shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. Turning on his heel, he headed out to the small living room, grabbed his shield and gun and as he reached the doorknob, stopped and rubbed his temples.

"I need to get a book on women, I really do." Danny grumbled before turning the knob and heading out of the apartment.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"So, you brought clothes?"

"Yes."

"Makeup?"

"Yes."

"Nice… accessories."

"Yup."

"Shoes, not converse."

"Ah…"

"Cara!"

Cara held up her hands in defeat as Kristin grabbed her sports bag from her hands and Cara's other friend, Sam, stood with her arms crossed, shaking her head in defeat.

"What are we going to do with you?" Sam said with a small frown as Kristin set the sports bag down and began going through it.

"Not my fault. I just threw a bunch of things in and hoped for the best. It's not my fault that I haven't been partying." Cara said as she leaned against the lockers and watched Kristin going through her items and holding them up for Sam to see.

"You haven't been out since Andrew." Sam pointed out and Cara rolled her eyes.

"My social life has nothing to do with that bastard, alright?" Cara said glaring at Sam who shrugged.

"Just making an observation, my friend." Sam said holding her hands up in surrender. Cara bit her lip and leaned back against the lockers.

"Well, I think we can make due with what you have." Kristin said as she zipped up the bag and handed it back to Cara, "Not a lot of good things, but we can improvise."

Cara sighed, "Thanks for making me feel good about myself."

"No. It's not that. You just have no fashion sense." Sam stated before giving Cara a quick hug.

"Thanks." Cara grumbled.

"We'll have some fun. Do not worry. You will be awesome by the time we're done with you." Kristin said as the bell rang and the three friends sighed.

"See you at lunch." All three grumbled and went their different ways to class. Cara slipped into French, hoping that she was not late, but Madame didn't seem to notice Cara. She sighed, sat down in her usual chair in the back of the classroom and allowed herself to daydream for the next 45 minutes.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lindsay woke up several hours after Danny left the apartment. She groaned at the fact that the sun was streaming through the blinds, causing her to go temporarily blind. Moving to her back, she rubbed her eyes and felt the uneasy feeling of sickness in her stomach. She quickly sat up and hurried to the bathroom before stumbling out several minutes later, her hand over her mouth.

She shook her head and dropped her hand to the side and licked her lips. Lindsay had had this same feeling for the past week and a half, but didn't dare tell Danny about it; knowing him. He'd had a freak out and Lindsay was not in the mood for Danny putting himself in 'protective husband' mode. After standing in the doorway for a short time, she made a decision and headed for the dresser and quickly changed.

Lindsay emerged from the bedroom 10 minutes later and grabbed her purse and keys and headed down the stairs of the apartment and headed to the nearest drug store. She stood in front of several women products, her hands on her hips and a frown. It was at this point in time she realized why Danny got so confused when she asked him to pick up tampons or pads. 15 minutes later, Lindsay had finally decided on three different types of the same product and headed up to the counter to pay.

Now, half hour after coming home from the store, Lindsay was sitting on the toilet, several pregnancy tests sitting on the edge of the tub. Her chin rested on her knuckles as she patiently waited for the results to show.

Well, not really patiently. Lindsay was never patient when it came to things like this.

The egg timer that was sitting on the counter went off. Lindsay looked at the timer, then at the tests before picking one up; then another, then another.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"You look cute!" Sam squealed from her place on the edge of the bed as Kristin modeled her clothes for the three other girls.

"I love it, Kristin, perfect." Elise said from her spot at the desk, adding a thumps up.

Kristin looked toward Cara, who was sitting in a bean bag chair in the corner of the room, her French book propped up on her legs. Cara glanced up and shrugged, "It's nice."

"It's… nice? That's it?" Kristin asked and Cara nodded returning her attention to her French book.

Sam and Elise snickered as Kristin folder her arms across her chest, "Please give me something better than, 'It's nice.'" Kristin said with a frown on her face.

Cara sighed and looked up and stared at Kristin long and hard and said, "You look uber sexy. How 'bout that?"

Kristin seemed to take it as a well thought out complement and smiled at her three friends as Elise stood up, grabbed her clothes and the three preceded to try and match skirts with shirts. Cara closed her French book and drummed her fingers on the hard cover book as she watched her friends happily going through the clothes. One thing she never understood; fashion.

10 minutes later, the three had managed to get Elise's outfit ready to wear and all thereof them turned toward Cara with a small smile. Cara wasn't paying attention; her mind was drifting off as she slowly flipped through her French book. She looked up and frowned at her friends, "What…?"

"Come on. We need to get you dressed and ready."

Cara raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm ready. All I have to do is throw on the skirt and the shirt and I'm done."

Cara's friends shook their heads and walked over to her; making a circle around Cara; all of them smiling.

"What?"

Kristin grabbed Cara's French book while Elise and Sam literally pulled Cara out of the beanbag.

"No. No! I am good. You do not… ow!" Cara winced as her friends pulled her to the bed where Cara's clothes were sitting on the bed.

"These will not do. At all." Sam said with the shake of her head.

"Don't worry," Elise added, "You'll be very sexy by the time we're done with you."

"Oh great." Cara grumbled as Kristin thrusted a mini skirt into Cara's arms, "Sexy."


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get this up. Things happen in life which cause me to lose focus. Hopefully these updates will become more regular, but I can't be so certain. Enjoy and keep on reading and reviewing. You guys are awesome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to CBS.

All mistakes belong to me.

* * *

Lindsay was leaning against the kitchen counters when Danny finally came home from work. He stood at the door, pulled off his shoes and looked over at Lindsay, who didn't seem to realize Danny had entered the room. Danny stood back up and smiled, "Hey Lindsay."

Lindsay glanced over at him and smiled, "Oh, hey. Didn't hear you come in." she said as she pushed herself off the counter and ran a hand through her hair. Danny frowned adjusted the messenger bag on his shoulder.

"Everything alright, Montana?" he asked and Lindsay gave a small smile and a nod.

"Yeah, everything is perfect." Lindsay said and Danny watched her for a moment before he shook his head and dropped his messenger bag by the shoes.

"I know that face, what are you thinking about, Linds." Danny asked as he stepped forward and rested his hands on her hips.

"Just imagining, that's all." Lindsay said with a small smile on her face.

"Imagining what?"

"A little kid running around here, that's all." Lindsay said and Danny sighed. They had talked about children for a while and Lindsay wanted a baby, but they tried and every attempt was failing.

"We've talked about this, Lindsay. We just got to give it time." Danny said trying to prevent another crying Lindsay.

"Yeah, 9 more months." She said and Danny frowned and shook his head.

"Wait… what?" Danny looked a little stunned causing Lindsay's small smile to break out into a bigger one.

"You heard me, 9 more months." Lindsay said again and Danny raised an eyebrow.

"You… us?" he asked unable to form words.

"Yeah, Dan, we're pregnant. Well… more like I'm pregnant…" Lindsay wasn't able to finish her sentence before she was lifted up by Danny as he spun her around.

"No way." He said quietly with a huge smile on his face.

"Yes way." Lindsay said and squealed as Danny pulled her close and buried his face in her neck.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"There is no way in hell that I am coming out of this bathroom!"

Elise shook her head while Sam and Kristin stood by the bathroom door, trying to get Cara out of the bathroom.

"What's the big deal, you look fine." Kristin said and there was a silence before;

"Fine! FINE!? I do NOT look fine!" Cara yelled out causing Sam to slump against the wall next to the bathroom and Kristin smacked her palm against her forehead.

"You don't look that bad, come on; we can look like… ahh… idiots together!" Elise said to the door. It was quiet again for a few seconds before…

"Alright."

The bathroom door slowly opened and Cara poked her head out and slowly made her body shown. Elise sighed, "See Cara, you look fine."

Cara looked down at the jean mini skirt, flats, and tank top she was wearing, she shook her head, "You know… it's freezing outside and I'm wearing a mini skirt."

Elise smiled and shrugged, "You look fantastic."

"Whatever."

Sam and Kristin laughed and grabbed a couple of dollars from Cara's wallet and they shoved the money into Cara's hands, "You're going to need this." Kristin said.

Cara took the money and stuffed it in her pocket and said, "What about a coat?"

"Don't worry about the coat, you'll be… fine." Kristin said with a smile and all three girls grabbed Cara's arms and pulled her out of the bedroom.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Flack was sitting at his desk, finishing up a days work and planning to head home and sleep for the next few hours. As he signed the last of his paperwork, Angell came up and leaned against his desk, not looking too happy. Flack looked up and raised his eyebrow.

"What's up?" he asked.

"The Sarge, that's what's up." Angell said with a sigh.

"What did he want this time?" Flack asked leaning back in his chair and gently moved it with the ball of his foot.

"Drug deal up on the eastside. There's a party going on to cover it up." Angell said.

"They want you to run it, huh?" Flack asked and Angell nodded.

"Yeah, I'm the party crasher for the night."

"Well…" Flack said standing up and pulling his coat on, "I'll leave something in the microwave for you."

Angell rolled her eyes, "Thanks."

Flack shrugged, "With this damn, 'bird flu' going around, people are going to have to pull double duty."

Angell nodded, "Yes we are. I'll see you tonight."

Flack nodded and gave his trademark smile, "Have fun."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The music was loud, the place crowded and Cara hated it with a burning passion. She could not believe that she had her friends convince her to come to the party to just have fun for once in her life, but she was not looking forward to the headache she knew she would have the next morning. Her friends practically dragged her into the club and all of them were smiling.

"Relax and enjoy!" Sam yelled over the loud music and Cara suddenly found herself alone in a place she usually didn't go.

_Great._

She made her way over to a makeshift bar and was first going to ask for water, but the guy behind the counter poured her some she had never even heard of before. Deciding it was the best thing she was going to get, she took the glass and took a sip of the alcohol and shook her head at the bitter taste. Her eyes swept around the area, not sure what to think of what was going on, when her eyes caught several boys hanging in the corner of the club, what seemed to be checking out many of the girls. One of the boys glanced over at Cara and smiled with a wink before returning to his friends. Cara didn't fail to notice the fact that the other boys seemed to be looking over too.

"What are you doing, Cara?" Kristin asked, wrapping her arms around Cara's neck from behind. Cara shrugged.

"You need to be out there, dancing and having fun. Not sitting in a corner with… what is that?" Kristin asked and Cara looked at the glass in hand.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's good." Cara answered and Kristin grabbed the glass to take a sip and handed it back.

"Not too bad, I'm more of a beer drinker myself." Kristin said and Cara smiled and mentioned to the boys still huddled together.

"You see that guy, with the short brown hair?" Cara asked and Kristin nodded.

"He looked at me." Cara said just as the boy snuck another look.

Kristin giggled and said, "Go talk to him!"

"Talk to him, hell no!"

Kristin smiled, "Oh, come on. He can't stop checking you out."

Cara smile suddenly turned into a frown and she shook her head, "I'm acting like a 6 year old."

Kristin again giggled and gave her friend a little push, "Oh, it's alright to act a little young."

"You've done this one too many times." Cara grumbled as she stumbled over her feet and found herself standing in front of the boy she was just checking out moments before, but this wasn't a boy, he was older than that.

Cara's mouth had gone dry and she stumbled over her words, "H-hi."

The guy smiled and said, "Hey yourself."

There was an awkward pause before he spoke up again.

"Wanna dance?" he asked jerking his head toward the dance floor.

With some hesitation and a quick peak to see Kristin giving her a thumbs up, Cara nodded, "Sure."

He grabbed her hand and Cara allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor. It wasn't that hard to do, Cara had lost all wanted movement in her legs and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he pulled her close to him and they began to sway.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sam had to admit, she was drunk; really, really drunk. She had lost track of her friends except for Elise, who was sitting next to her, slumped against the side of her. Sam rubbed her forehead, feeling very tired and unsure of her surroundings. The two of them sat in the corner for a little bit when Kristin raced over to them and grabbed their arms.

"Guys, we have to go." She said as she pulled at their arms.

Elise shook her head, "No… I'm good right here…" Elise mumbled as she snuggled up closer to Sam.

"No, guys. I'm not kidding; we HAVE to get out of here. Now." Kristin said the tone of her voice becoming desperate. Sam looked at her friend; everything seemed to be in a fog.

"Mom says time?" she asked.

"No, but I do and remember I am scarier that your mother." Kristin said as she managed to get both on their feet and she quickly shoved them to the door.

"Why are you rushing, anyway?" Elise asked as she stumbled along.

"I'll tell you when we get out of here." Kristin said and she heard someone from behind her yell;

"Don't go through that door!"

Kristin stopped to see several cops rounding people up. She had no other choice than to drag her friends from the door and sit down at a couple of chairs. They sat there for 10 minutes before a woman walked over to them, flipping open her memo book and standing in front of the three girls.

"What were you three here for?" She asked pulling up a plastic chair and sitting down.

"Partying. Nothing more." Kristin said as Sam and Elise nodded, obviously having no idea what was going around.

"So you had no idea about the drug deal, correct?" the detective asked and Kristin raised an eyebrow.

"What drug deal?" Kristin asked and the detective shook her head.

She stood up and pulled the chair aside and said, "I'll let you guy go."

The three girls stood up and with the help of Kristin, they all managed to stumble out of the club.

Sam and Elise leaned against the wall and Kristin looked around;

"Where's Cara?"


	4. Chapter 4

So: here is the next chapter. Thanks for the amazing reviews and support. Enjoy!

All mistakes belong to me.

Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. Yes. :D

* * *

Cara had a massive headache. She could barely open her eyes; the light made it feel like that her eyes were burning. Groaning, she rubbed her forehead and slowly turned her face into the pillow and slowly opened her eyes. She glanced around, not sure of where she was or how she got there. The night before had turned to mush in her memory and the last thing she remembered was being dragged out to the dance floor by a guy she barely knew…

_Guy…_

_Dancing…_

_Definitely a little tipsy…_

_Okay, drunk. _

_SHIT._

Cara shot up from where she was lying and looked around the clean living room. She looked at where she was sitting; a couch and she frowned. She looked at her clothes; someone had changed her from out of her mini skirt and shirt and she wasn't really complaining. She swung her legs off the couch and rested her head in between the palms of her hands. Cara took a couple deep breaths and she could hear someone come into the small living room.

"I was wondering when you would get up."

Cara turned around to see the guy she had been dancing with the night before; he was leaning against a small chair in the living room, his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile on his face. Cara took in his attire, took a quick look at hers and said;

"We didn't…?"

The guy shook his head, "No, we didn't. You have nothing to worry about."

Cara breathed a sigh of relief before she could feel the heat of a blush creeping on her cheeks, "Um… that wasn't exactly the way to say it…"

He, again, shook his head, "No worries."

There was an awkward pause before Cara said, "I never caught your name."

He smiled, "Names Ben. I'm assuming you have a name, too."

Cara nodded, "Yeah. It's Cara."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you." He paused and then said, "You want some breakfast?"

Cara nodded, "That'd be great."

Ben made his way to the small kitchen and Cara finally stumbled off the couch and followed. Ben was pulling out pancake mix and setting it down on the counter.

"Pancakes work for you?" he asked and Cara nodded.

"They work fine."

There was silence for several minutes before Cara spoke up, "What happened last night?"

Ben didn't answer for a little bit and he looked up, "We danced for a while before you said you couldn't see straight. Took you outside and you passed out."

Cara made a face, "Embarrassing."

Ben snickered, "Well, I'm actually glad that you passed out. I just got a phone call from a friend saying the party was broken up by the cops because the party was a cover up for a drug deal."

Cara looked up a frowned, "A drug deal? Was anyone arrested?" she asked and Ben shrugged.

"Only a couple people. Cops just let the others go. You got some friends?" Ben asked.

Cara nodded, "Yeah, three of my friends where with me."

Ben waved his hand, "They'll be fine. No worries." He said as he placed two pancakes on a plate and placed the plate on the counter. Cara sat on one of the stools at the counter and slowly picked at the pancakes as Ben finished a couple for himself and began eating.

There was silence for a little bit and Cara had barely finished one pancake as Ben was finishing his last. Ben looked up and said, "You thinking of heading?"

Cara nodded, "Yeah, I am," she said as she slid off the chair and crossed her arms uncomfortably across her chest.

"Your clothes are in my room and you can borrow one of my sweatshirts since you don't have a jacket." Ben said and Cara nodded, headed to his room and emerged about 5 minutes later, dress and one of his sweatshirts on.

"It was nice to meet you. Thanks for breakfast." Cara said as she stuffed her hands in the pocket and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'll see you later?" Ben asked as he showed her the front door.

Cara nodded, "Sure."

Ben smiled and opened the door for her and Cara quickly slipped out and headed to the ferry.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Danny fiddled with his phone as he watched AFIS run a fingerprint through the system. He frowned and flipped open his phone and pressed speed dial 3 and held the phone to his ear, his eyes still glued to the screen. The phone rang several times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Cara, where are you?" Danny asked.

There was a pause before Cara said, "I'm on the Ferry. Why?"

"I'm just curious." Danny said. Cara gave a laugh.

"You're never curious. Mom thinks I'm up to something, doesn't she?"

"I am not the one to blame. She panics."

"And I blame you and Louie."

Danny smiled and picked up a pen and began clicking it.

"What were you doing out?" Danny asked.

"Oh, just hanging. Being a teenager. Why? And… how did you know I was out?"

"Angell said she saw a couple of your friends." Danny said and Cara groaned.

"You know what; I'm going to stop introducing my friends to you guys."

Danny smirked, "She remembered Kristin from when you two got in trouble in the ME's office a couple years back. She was the person who called Kristin's parents."

Cara sighed, "Okay, brought that upon ourselves. What else did she say?"

"That it was just Kristin and two other people she didn't recognize and didn't see you there." Danny explained and Cara sighed and didn't say anything.

Danny waited for a couple of seconds before speaking up again, "Wanna say something, buddy?"

"I plead the fifth."

Danny laughed, "Alright, fine. I'm going to let you skive on this one, but if I have to go all detective on you because mom's worried, I'll drag your ass into interrogation."

"Deal. The ferry's docking and I want to head home. I'll give you a call later today, alright? Discuss Christmas?" Cara asked.

"Sounds good. I'm off around 6."

"Alright, I'll talk to you sometime in the near future." Cara said. Both said their goodbyes and Cara hung up her phone and slipped it into her pocket just as the ferry employees began allowing the passengers off the boat. Cara quickly slipped through the crowd and headed down the street, glad to get away from the over crowded area. She headed home and about 20 minutes later, she found herself opening the front door to her house and was greeted by Peppermint.

"Hey Pepper. Sorry I was gone for so long." Cara mumbled scratching behind Peppermint's ear who barked a hello back.

She ran a hand through her hair and ran up the stairs grabbing some clothes then heading to the bathroom for a shower. As she tossed her pair of jeans and t-shirt into the bathroom, she heard some talking from downstairs. Frowning, she leaned over the railing and looked down into the small entrance hall of the house with a small yawn.

The first person she saw was her dad. Cara rubbed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

A younger looking woman came out from the kitchen and both shared a kiss before the young woman left the house. Cara slowly closed her mouth and slipped into the bathroom and leaned against the door thinking;

_What… the… hell…_


End file.
